If you want to capture the playful, magical, and sometimes mischievous nature of creating new worlds through the art of writing, there’s no better way to do it than through metafiction. These are books that are themselves about books or the art of writing, and there are many picture books that do a great job of making this complicated idea accessible to even very young audiences.
In this post, we’ll look at four picture books that explore the art of the written word and how we use it to create, inspire, and teach.
We Are in a Book- Mo Willems
We Are in a Book is one of the offerings from Mo Willems’ beloved Elephant and Piggy series. In this book, Piggy explains to her best friend Gerald the elephant that they are in a book and that the reader is reading about them. The pair have a delightful time making the reader say silly words. Then, Gerald is scared about what will happen when the book ends, but Piggy assures him that books can be read again and again, and she asks the reader to please come back and visit them soon.
This book gets children thinking about their responsibility and power as readers. They have the opportunity to bring characters to life through their imaginations and attention, and Piggy and Gerald are great friends to help them learn to do that.
May I Have a Word?- Caron Levis
In May I Have a Word? the characters are a set of refrigerator magnets that have gotten themselves into a bit of a problem. K and C are fighting over jealousy about their shared sounds, and they’re now refusing to stand next to one another. Without their cooperation, the group can’t spell important words like ‘sock,’ ‘clock,’ or ‘luck.’ They have to overcome their differences and learn to work together in order to get the words back on the page.
The delightful illustrations from illustrator Andy Rash really bring this book to life. Not only are the magnets recognizable and entertaining characters, but Rash’s art makes them expressive and emotional as well. Children get to enjoy the silliness of letters battling over sounds while also exploring the way that words are made.
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story- Patrick McDonnell
Readers are immediately introduced to Little Louie in A Perfectly Messed-Up Story, but things quickly go awry as Louie tries to tell his tale. His story has been ruined by jelly smears, juice spills, and fingerprints. He laments that his book is going to end up tossed out and that no one is going to want to read about him anymore. Eventually, Louie overcomes his dread and finishes his story even though it’s not perfect.
The most fun part of this read-aloud is Louie’s expressive and furious response to his story being ruined. Young children will relate to feelings of despair and disappointment, but then they’ll get to see Louie realize that things don’t have to be perfect after all.
The Book with No Pictures- B. J. Novak
True to its word, The Book with No Pictures has no pictures, but don’t let that trick you into thinking that it is boring. This book is intentionally designed to be a read aloud, and the words on the page (written in wonderfully expressive fonts and colors) demonstrate how the reader is at the whim of the author while engaged in the world of the book. As the words on the page force the reader to do sillier and sillier things, children are guaranteed to break into fits of laughter and joy.
In the end, the book demonstrates the power of a fictitious universe and shows young readers how their own efforts intertwine with those of the authors they read.
Choosing metafiction for young readers is a great way to get them curious about the world of writing and thinking critically about how fictional worlds are created and maintained. These delightful books are sure to capture their imaginations.